re: #306 WindUpBird

Or it could be politically motivated to make such a statement, because it would probably not be popular for an Iranian president to say “Yep, we’d be hosed! Screwed!” Bravado is popular, even if it’s not true.

Also, the word “absorb”. Would their government survive retaliation?

Their statements were generally gratuitous. There was no need for them to make any statement at all. And the fact that two separate presidents have made the same statement, years apart, tends to indicate they are more serious than the average Ahmadinejad rant.

As was noted above, everyone thought that the Arabs were “just saber rattling” when they threatened to throw the Jews into the sea. People said Hitler was just mouthing off when he threatened to annihilate the Jews.

You blow off fanatics at your own peril. Jews have learned to take these threats seriously because more often than not, they are serious.